Roll condenser for producing a rolled strand of stalk and/or leaf material

ABSTRACT

A roll condenser for producing a rolled strand of stalk and/or leaf material, consisting of a group of driven rollers which can rotate in the same direction and are adjustable to a certain angle in relation to one another, the said roll condenser possessing a regulating device arranged automatically to regulate said angle of tilt and constructed so as to adjust said angle of tilt in inverse proportion to the degree in which the rolling compartment has been emptied, while a measuring feeler measuring the said degree and belonging to the regulating device is situated in that zone of the rolling compartment from which it begins to empty when the feed of material thereto is interrupted.

United States Patent Wieneke 1 Aug. 7, 1973 54] ROLL CONDENSER FOR PRODUCING A 1,257,798 2/1918 Brown [/76 x ROLLED STRAND 0F STALK AND/OR LEAF 2 283135? 11/1968 Bushmeycr 100186 X MATERIAL [76] Inventor: Franz Wieneke, No. 14,

August-Lange-Strasse, Bovenden, Germany [22] Filed: July 1, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 158,833

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 4, 1970 Germany P 33 275.6

[52] US. Cl 100/89, 100/50, l00/DIG. 7 [51] Int. Cl Bb 3/04 [58] Field of Search 100/76, 86, 87, 88, 100/89, DIG. 7,

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 217,207 7/1879 Gibson., l0O/76 UX 681,082 8/1901 Thomas.... /89 961,997 6/1910 Ballet a1 100/86 2/1970 Warnking 100/86 Primary ExaminerWilliam 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Arthur 0. Henderson Att0meyMarkva & Smith [57] ABSTRACT A roll condenser for producing a rolled strand of stalk and/or leaf material, consisting of a group of driven rollers which can rotate in the same direction and are adjustable to a certain angle in relation to one another, the said roll condenser possessing a regulating device arranged automatically to regulate said angle of tilt and constructed so as to adjust said angle of tilt in inverse proportion to the degree in which the rolling compartment has been emptied, while a measuring feeler measuring the said degree and belonging to the regulating device is situated in that zone of the rolling compartment from which it begins to empty when the feed of material thereto is interrupted.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENIED M18 7 1873 I N VENTOR FRANZ WIENEKE BY ML r M A TTORNE Y5 ROLL CONDENSER FOR PRODUCING A ROLLED STRAND OF STALK AND/OR LEAF MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The known roll condensers used for producing a rolled strand of stalk and/or leaf material and from which small bundles are usually cut suffer from the by no means negligible drawback of being incapable of resuming the production of a strand immediately after the supply of further material has ceased for the period required by the material in course of being rolled to leave the feed side of the condenser. Material is not drawn into the rolling compartment of the roll condenser until the feed zone of the latter contains a roll of stalk material. At the beginning of every rolling operation with a condenser, therefore, a roll of material must first be introduced into the zone from which it is to be drawn in. This in itself would not constitute any appreciable disadvantage in the operation of the known roll condensers.

The drawback becomes untenable, however, when the roll condenser is being continuously fed with material of which the supplies fails at certain moments. This may occur with stationary installations; it is inevitable, however, with roll condensers mounted on agricultural machines, i. e. mowing or harvesting apparatus. Intervals then occur in the feeding operation and last long enough to cause the roll condenser to run idle to such an extent that at all events its draw-in zone is empty, i. e. without any roll of material. Although the strand of material already present in the rolling compartment will be rolled and ejected, the longer'this process has continued the less will the roll condenser be capable of taking in fresh material without auxiliary measures. In roll condensers, as is known, the transport of the material in the axial direction takes place as a result of the fact that the rollers, which are of equal dimensions and rotate in the same direction, are of conical construction or else, if they are cylindrical in shape, are set at an angle in relation to one another. Without this special shape, or relative position, the axial component of the ejection force .wouldvnot come about.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, the object of the invention to provide a roll condenser for producing a rolled strand of stalk and/or leaf material, which ensures that even when the flow of material to the roll condenser is temporarily interrupted the latter retains its draw-in capacity. The result is obtained as a result of the'fact that the .roll condenser is supplemented by a measure of which the effect is that the strand of material already present therein only undergoes a considerable reduced axial component, if any.

The present invention enables this object to be achieved in a roll condenser with cylindrical rollers as as result of the fact that it is equipped with a device which automatically regulates the degree in which the rollers are tilted in respect of each other and which is so designed that the latter is altered in inverse proportion to the degree in which the rolling compartment is emptied, while the feeler measuring the said degree and belonging to the regulating device is situated in that zone of the rolling compartment from which it begins to empty when the feed of material thereto is interrupted.

In a special embodiment of the invention the measuring feeler consists of a scanning plate of which the surface is somewhat smaller than the cross section of the rolling compartment and which is pressed by spring force in the direction in which the strand of rolled material emerges from the roll condenser against that part of it which is in continuous formation, the said spring force being such that the scanning plate is held in the neutral position by the material when the latter is flowing into the rolling compartment in the normal manner.

The regulating device may be constructed so that the rollers are tilted by it to the maximum extent when the scanning plate occupies its neutral position.

Preferably, the scanning plate is constructed for a maximum travel equal to that fraction of the length of the rolling compartment after the emptying of which the roll condenser, in the absence of the regulator, would no longer be capable of taking up any material to be rolled. This fraction can be determined for each roll condenser by means of a simple test. The regulating device is then to be so constructed that the device will move the rollers into a position in which they are parallel with each other not later than the moment when the scanning plate has performed its maximum travel. When the material is entering in the normal manner the pressure which it exerts on the scanning plate is great enough to ensure that the latter will occupy its neutral position. The regulating device then causes the rollers to assume the particular angle of tilt at which the roll condenser is to operate normally. If the feed of material ceases, the roll condenser begins to empty. This emptying operation causes the scanning plate, as a result of the spring force exerted on the latter, to follow up the rear of the strand of material coming to an end. This adjustment in the position of the scanning plate influences the regulating device in such a way that the more closely the former approaches to its maximum travel the nearer the latter will move the rollers to the position in which they are parallel witheach other. When the said maximum travel has been completed, the rollers will be parallel, and the axial ejection force of the roll condenser will thus have been eliminated. The roll of material remains in the roll condenser, even though its rollers are rotating, until a fresh supply of material flows in. The scanning plates moves the fresh material so vigorously against the end of the continuously rotating existing strand that thelatter draws it in after it. That part of the rolling compartment which has been emptied thus fills up again, the scanning plate being forced back to its neutral position in the process. To

' the same degree the regulating device restores the mutually tilted position of 'the rollers, and this position reaches its maximum as soon as the rolling compartment has been refilled to the extent required to ensure that the scanning plate occupies the neutral position. The regulating device has prevented the roll condenser from running completely empty and from becoming incapable of taking in further material.

The automatic control of the degree in which the rollers of a roll condenser are tilted in respect of each other is not new. In the system hitherto known, however, it is controlled by measuring the torque of the rollers. The known control system cannot cope with the problem which. the invention sets out to solve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An embodiment'of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a roll condenser according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line [I II of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A chassis (not shown) bears a mowing or harvesting device and a roll condenser 5. Stalk and/or leaf material 1, still standing or already mown, is mown or harvested by rotors 2 and 3 of the mowing or harvesting device, as the case may be, and conveyed in the form of a comparatively thin layer 4 to the roll condenser 5 consisting substantially of four driven rollers 6, of which the driving means are not shown.

The rollers 6 are mounted at the bottom in a baseplate 7 and secured at the top in a supporting plate 8 which is rotatable about the axis of the roll condenser, this providing a means of varying the angle at which the rollers are tilted in respect of one another. The supporting plate 8 is rotatably mounted in a covering plate 9.

A scanning plate 10, of which the area is not too great to enable it to move freely upwards in the rolling compartment, inside the lower portion of the roll condenser 5, is supported by a lever arm 11 of which the swivel pin [2 is affixed to the baseplate 7. At its free end the lever arm 11 is pressed upwards by a spring 13. The shaft of a first control piston 14 is articulated to the free end of the lever arm 11. Two hydraulic outputs 15 lead from this control piston to two hydraulic inputs 16 of a second control piston 17, of which the shaft, via an arm 18, rotates the bearing plate 8 about its fulcrum.

The scanning plate 10 may be formed integral with lever arm 11. In order to ensure that the thin layer 4 of material will not be prevented by the scanning plate 10 or the lever arm 11 from entering the rolling compartment, the scanning plate part of the lever arm 11 or the lever arm 11 itself is constructed with a slight depression leaving a gap 21 for the passage of the material, even when in its neutral position.

The connections of the conduits l5 and 16 are arranged in such a manner that the driven rollers 6 are tilted to the maximum degree in respect of each other when the scanning plate 10 assumes its lowest position, which is the case when ample material is being fed in. The travel of the two control pistons 14 and I7 is such that the maximum lift of the scanning plate 10 corresponds to the rotation of the supporting plate 8 from the position in which the rollers 6 are tilted to the maximum degree to the position in which they are parallel to each other. The finished strand of rolled material emerges at the top. The manner in which this special regulating device operates is fully in accordance with that described in the foregoing in connection with all roll condensers according to the invention.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

What is claimed is:

1. A roll condenser for producing a rolled strand of stalk material comprising a. a plurality of rollers arranged such that their cylindrical peripheries define a rolling compartment having an inlet and an outlet, said rollers being adapted to rotate in the same direction about their respective axes,

b. means for regulating the degree of tilt of the axes of said rollers with respect to each other to adjust the cross-sectional size of said rolling compartment, and

c. sensing means responsive to variations in the amount of material at said compartment inlet to control said regulating means, whereby a decrease in the amount of material adjacent said compartment inlet results in an increase in the tilt angle of said roller axes and decrease in compartment cross-sectional size, and an increase in the amount of material adjacent said compartment inlet results in a decrease in the tilt angle of said roller axes and increase in compartment crosssectional size.

2. A roll condenser in accordance with claim I, wherein the sensing means comprises a scanning plate of which the surface is somewhat smaller that the cross section of the rolling compartment and which is pressed by a spring in the direction in which the strand of the rolled material emerges from the roll condenser against that part of it which is in continuous formation, the force of said spring being such that the scanning plate occupies a neutral position when the material is flowing into the rolling compartment in the normal manner.

3. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the regulating means is adapted to tilt the driven rollers to the maximum extent when the scanning plate occupies the neutral position.

4. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the maximum travel of the scanning plate is equal to that fraction of the length of the rolling compartment when empty the roll condenser, in the absence of the regulating means, being no longer capable of taking up any material to be rolled.

5. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 4, wherein the regulating means is adapted to cause the rollers to assume the parallel position not later that the moment at which the scanning plate has performed its maximum travel. g

6. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2,

wherein the scanning plate is borne by a lever arm which is pivotably mou'nted'on a support of the roll condenser and of which the position determines that of the regulating means for controlling the angle of tilt between the driven rollers.

- 7. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 6, wherein the regulating means for controlling the angle of tilt between the rollers comprises a first hydraulic control piston, of which the position is determined by the lever arm and of which the hydraulic outputs act on the inputs of a second hydraulic control piston of which the shaft adjusts the position of a supporting plate of the driven rollers, said supporting plate being rotatable about the axis of the roll condenser.

8. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the scanning plate, in the zone of'entry of the material to be rolled, is provided with a slight depression, thus leaving a gap for the passage of the material,

even when in its neutral position. 

1. A roll condenser for producing a rolled strand of stalk material comprising a. a plurality of rollers arranged such that their cylindrical peripheries define a rolling compartment having an inlet and an outlet, said rollers being adapted to rotate in the same direction about their respective axes, b. means for regulating the degree of tilt of the axes of said rollers with respect to each other to adjust the crosssectional size of said rolling compartment, and c. sensing means responsive to variations in the amount of material at said compartment inlet to control said regulating means, d. whereby a decrease in the amount of material adjacent said compartment inlet results in an increAse in the tilt angle of said roller axes and decrease in compartment cross-sectional size, and an increase in the amount of material adjacent said compartment inlet results in a decrease in the tilt angle of said roller axes and increase in compartment cross-sectional size.
 2. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sensing means comprises a scanning plate of which the surface is somewhat smaller that the cross section of the rolling compartment and which is pressed by a spring in the direction in which the strand of the rolled material emerges from the roll condenser against that part of it which is in continuous formation, the force of said spring being such that the scanning plate occupies a neutral position when the material is flowing into the rolling compartment in the normal manner.
 3. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the regulating means is adapted to tilt the driven rollers to the maximum extent when the scanning plate occupies the neutral position.
 4. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the maximum travel of the scanning plate is equal to that fraction of the length of the rolling compartment when empty the roll condenser, in the absence of the regulating means, being no longer capable of taking up any material to be rolled.
 5. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 4, wherein the regulating means is adapted to cause the rollers to assume the parallel position not later that the moment at which the scanning plate has performed its maximum travel.
 6. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the scanning plate is borne by a lever arm which is pivotably mounted on a support of the roll condenser and of which the position determines that of the regulating means for controlling the angle of tilt between the driven rollers.
 7. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 6, wherein the regulating means for controlling the angle of tilt between the rollers comprises a first hydraulic control piston, of which the position is determined by the lever arm and of which the hydraulic outputs act on the inputs of a second hydraulic control piston of which the shaft adjusts the position of a supporting plate of the driven rollers, said supporting plate being rotatable about the axis of the roll condenser.
 8. A roll condenser in accordance with claim 2, wherein the scanning plate, in the zone of entry of the material to be rolled, is provided with a slight depression, thus leaving a gap for the passage of the material, even when in its neutral position. 